Jays get best of first-place Irish again

WEST CHESTER -- Hoopes Park was home to another thriller on Wednesday night in the West Chester Adult Baseball League.

The Jays squeaked by Ryan’s Pub (5-2), posting a 4-3 victory. Both of Ryan’s Pub’s losses this year have been handed to them by the Jays.

“The two games we’ve played them, they’ve had good at bats,” said Ryan’s Pub manager Kevin McKernan. “They’ve gotten good hits and found holes and played well.”

The visiting Jays (4-3) struck early, posting three runs in the first two innings to take a quick 3-0 lead over the first-place Irish (5-2). Andy Wendle’s single to left drove in leadoff hitter Matt Helm in the top of the first. Brad Canan’s suicide squeeze worked to perfection in the second, plating Jeff Riccardo with a well-executed bunt. Mike Balhusch made it 3-0 with an RBI single.

Ryan’s Pub took an offensive stand in the third inning, tallying a run on three runs to knot the game up. However, a base running error by the Irish curtailed what could have been a big frame.

With men on first and second and the score still 3-0 in favor of the Jays, Irish outfielder Bill Krebs hit a double into right field. Dan Gardo was able to score easily from second, but Bryan Mulhern was caught in a pickle between third base and home plate, forcing the second out of the inning.

“We had guys in scoring position; base running mistake in that one inning,” McKernan said. “We could’ve had second and third with our three hitter up.”

Ryan’s Pub eventually went on to tie the game on an RBI double and a run-scoring single from Bryan Muldowning, but the mistake still haunted the Irish.

In the top of the fifth, the Jays took the lead on Kevin Mulvey’s double, driving in Ben Wendle with what proved to be the game-winning run.

On top of batting 2-for-3 with an RBI, Mulvey also got the save for the Jays, pitching two innings and striking out four, including the side in the bottom of the seventh with his team up a single run.